Manizales is the capital of the department of Caldas, located in central western Colombia, on the Cordillera Central of the Andes, near the snow-capped mountain of Ruiz. It is part of the so-called Coffee Triangle and has a population of approximately 431,563.
Its metropolitan area, made up of the municipalities of Manizales, Neira, Villamaría, Palestina and Chinchiná, has a population of more than 758,200 inhabitants, and is also known as the sub-region of Caldas. Together with Risaralda, Quindío, northwestern Tolima, northern Valle and southwestern Antioquia make up the Colombian Coffee Axis.
Why study in Manizales
On the national scene, Manizales stands out for its university character and its academic activity, with more than ten institutions of higher education, making it an attractive city for young people from all over the country seeking high quality education, in the atmosphere of a quiet city with a high quality of life.
Manizales University Campus
It is a city program that works to make the capital of Caldas a life experience, where the academic sector, the private sector and the government join forces to show the city as a world-class campus, with high quality academic, cultural, recreational and service offerings, designed to attract and train national and foreign students in an environment recognized for its culture, biodiversity, inclusion and quality of life.
Learning City
Manizales, since July 2019, is part of this Global Network of Learning Cities, highlighting its work from the public sector, private sector and academia.
On October 4th, the city received membership as a new UNESCO City of Learning and also signed a twinning agreement with the city of Cork, Ireland, a City of Learning that inspired and supported Manizales on this path towards learning.
A learning city effectively mobilizes its resources in all sectors to promote inclusive learning, from basic to higher education. It also encourages the use of modern learning technologies and manifests continuous improvement in quality and excellence in learning over time.
SUMA
SUMA's efforts are aimed at strengthening each of the mission functions of its member universities, so that education is based on a complete perspective of the realities of the city and the world.
Suma Movilidad is a component that aims to improve the academic experience of students and professors by integrating the curricula of the universities. This means that students interested in being part of the Mobility program can enroll up to 20 percent of their credits in the different programs of the universities that make up this University System. In addition, the university population can benefit from all the collections and databases that the six libraries have and borrow material without further formalities.
Manizales Más
Manizales Más is an alliance for the integral development of the entrepreneurship ecosystem in Manizales. We generate the necessary conditions for create and growing companies. Because we are sure that knowledge + action transform the economic model. We managed to materialize an innovative development model from the public, private and academic alliance.
Come to be part of the Entrepreneurship Ecosystem of Manizales Más, get to know it:
Entrepreneurship Route: is a training program aimed at strengthening and developing competencies in entrepreneurship that will enable students to think and act in an entrepreneurial manner.
This program of Manizales Más, Manizales Campus Universitario and SUMA, is composed of six subjects: Entrepreneurship, Marketing and Sales for Entrepreneurs, Intellectual Property for Entrepreneurs, Social Innovation, Finance for Entrepreneurs and Management of Growing Companies.
Students who take advantage of this route can take elective courses in the universities belonging to the Manizales Más alliance, through SUMA Mobility, which allows students from one university to take the courses of the route in another university belonging to SUMA, free of charge.
Bici Office
The Bici office in Manizales is a private city program created to encourage the use of bicycles as a contribution to active, sustainable mobility and air quality.
In turn, OfiBici studies, consolidates and executes projects that generate benefits and city services, in articulation with organizations, institutions and organized commerce, aimed at the student population, in order to guarantee a unique experience within Manizales as a University City.
